


The Prophecy

by MimicMadness



Series: MCYT Warrior Cats AU [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF, Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bad knows twoleg words, Canon-Typical Violence, Colorblind GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Dark Forest (Warriors), Everyone is LGBT, Forbidden Love, Multi, No beta we die like dehydrated worms, RiverClan (Warriors), ShadowClan (Warriors), SkyClan (Warriors), StarClan (Warriors), Tags to be added, ThunderClan (Warriors), WindClan (Warriors), cats cant usually be colorblind but fuck it, cross-clan relationships, curse words, its a warrior cats au what did you expect, minecraft youtubers - Freeform, more like source-typical violence, theres so much forbidden love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:08:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 14,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27357013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MimicMadness/pseuds/MimicMadness
Summary: A Minecraft Youtuber/Warrior Cats Crossover AU! Def going to be an ongoing series.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, Niki | Nihachu/Wilbur Soot, Zak Ahmed/Darryl Noveschosch
Series: MCYT Warrior Cats AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997989
Comments: 90
Kudos: 289





	1. Allegiance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> youtuber counterparts in order of appearance
> 
> Ramfang: Jschlatt  
> Saptooth: Sapnap  
> Redpaw: TommyInnit  
> Frostdapple: GeorgeNotFound  
> Rainheart: Quackity  
> Salmonsong: Wilbur Soot  
> Foxpaw: Fundy  
> Potatoclaw: Technoblade  
> Beepaw: Tubbo  
> Halloweyes: Eret  
> Cloudrunner: Dream  
> Sunwing: Philza  
> Birdleap: Skeppy  
> Petalmouse: Niki  
> Antfrost: ...Antfrost  
> Sweetberry: VelvetIsCake  
> Lilacfeather: Karl  
> Bad: Badboyhalo  
> Boffy: ...Boffy  
> Zee: Wadzee

* - based off of a YouTuber

##  **Thunderclan**

**Leader:** Cherrystar - A black and ginger she-cat with yellow eyes

 **Deputy:** Ramfang* - A mottled grey tom with yellow eyes and unusually long claws

 **Medicine Cat:** Maplewaters - A calico tom with yellow eyes ( **Softpaw** )

 **Warriors:** Hazelrunner - A light brown and cream she-cat with blue eyes and thick fur

Saptooth* - A fluffy black and white tom with bright amber eyes ( **Redpaw** )

Lionsight - A large golden tom with a thick ring of fur around his neck and green eyes ( **Rustpaw** )

Crowpoppy - A black she-cat with green eyes

Littlepond - A small blue-grey tom with amber eyes

Jaggedleap - A tortoiseshell molly with blue eyes and torn ears

Mistpatch - A grey ticked tabby tom with green eyes

 **Apprentices:** Redpaw* - A cream and ginger tabby tom with blue eyes

Rustpaw - A russet tom with pale yellow eyes

Softpaw - A deaf, fluffy white she-cat with blue eyes

 **Queens:** Petalnight - An orange tabby molly with deep blue; currently expecting Lionsight’s kits

 **Elders:** Waspflash - A pale yellow and black tabby tom with a scarred muzzle and brown eyes

Smalljump - A grey tom with folded ears and blue-grey eyes

##  **Riverclan**

**Leader:** Wolfstar - A large, scarred, thick-furred grey she-cat with amber eyes and white paws ( **Duckpaw** )

 **Deputy:** Fernwillow - A brown tabby she-cat with green eyes

 **Medicine Cat:** Frostdapple* - A fluffy dark brown tom with white paws, a white mask, and a white dash on his chest. He has a nub tail, one folded ear, and mismatched blue and brown eyes as well as a twisted forepaw.

 **Warriors:** Rainheart* - A long-furred dark grey tom with amber eyes

Salmonsong* - A fluffy light brown tom with a lighter underbelly and yellow eyes ( **Foxpaw** )

Aspenstreak - A cream tabby tom with green eyes

Newtshine - A light brown she-cat with cream paws and belly as well as amber eyes

Hawkdawn - A large dark brown and white tabby tom with bright amber eyes

Haydream - A cream she-cat with amber eyes ( **Berrypaw** )

Pinewish - A light brown tabby molly with green eyes

 **Apprentices:** Foxpaw* - A dark ginger and white tom with green eyes and a fluffy tail

Duckpaw - A brown ticked tabby tom with brown eyes

Berrypaw - A cream molly with blue eyes

 **Queens:** Shrewberry - Brown with lighter markings and green eyes ( **Reedkit:** A light brown she-kit; **Eelkit:** A mottled grey-brown tom

Bearsplash - A brown tabby with amber eyes; expecting Hawkdawn’s kits

 **Elders:** Talldusk - A white and black tom with brown eyes

##  **Shadowclan**

**Leader:** Rookstar - A white and black tom with amber eyes and a torn left ear

 **Deputy:** Sootspots - A grey ticked tabby with blue eyes

 **Medicine Cat:** Goldenpelt - A fluffy golden molly with blue eyes ( **Swanpaw** )

 **Warriors:** Potatoclaw* - A large, scarred, dark ginger and cream tom with blue eyes ( **Beepaw** )

Flytalon - A grey tom with white paws and amber eyes

Acornflight - A light brown she-cat with cream markings and amber eyes

Greybrook - A two-toned grey she-cat with blue eyes and thick fur

Snakestrike - A skinny black tabby tom with piercing amber eyes

Fowerfang - A fluffy light grey molly with yellow eyes

Mudfur - A dark brown tom with grey-green eyes

 **Apprentices:** Beepaw* - A dark brown tabby tom with lighter stripes and brown eyes

Swanpaw - A mottled grey she-cat with blue eyes

**Queens:**

**Elders:** Alderbranch - A dark ginger tom with brown eyes

Rainstream - A blue-grey she-cat with amber eyes and a missing ear

##  **Windclan**

**Leader:** Owlstar - A light brown ticked tabby she-cat with amber eyes

 **Deputy:** Halloweyes* - A brown and black tom with unusual grey eyes

 **Medicine Cat:** Hareswirl - A cream tabby tom with green eyes ( **Duskpaw** )

 **Warriors:** Cloudrunner* - A golden and cream tom with green eyes

Sunwing* - A tri-toned tan tom with green eyes

Birdleap* - A blue-grey tom with ice blue eyes

Stagspring - A calico she-cat with brown eyes

Firechaser - A ginger tabby tom with blue eyes

Sunsetglow - A pretty ginger and white she-cat with blue eyes and long fur ( **Russetpaw** )

 **Apprentices:** Russetpaw - A dark ginger tom with yellow eyes

Duskpaw - A black tom with lighter grey patches and yellow-green eyes

 **Queens:** Birchstripe - A brown and white tabby with amber eyes; expecting kits from an unknown father

 **Elders:** Bonefoot - A tan tabby tom, blind in both eyes

##  **Skyclan**

**Leader:** Cederstar - A dark ginger tom with green eyes

 **Deputy:** Honeystrike - A yellow she-cat with amber eyes ( **Kestrelpaw** )

 **Medicine Cat:** Petalmouse* - A small two-toned brown she-cat with green eyes

 **Warriors:** Antfrost* - A tan and brown tom with blue eyes ( **Amberpaw** )

Sweetberry* - A light brown two-toned tom with violet eyes

Lilacfeather* - A tan tom with brown markings and purple eyes

Birchleaf - A brown tabby tom with brown eyes

Tigershadow - A ginger tabby she-cat with dark brown eyes

Nightpuddle - A black tom with blue eyes

 **Apprentices:** Amberpaw - A tan she-cat with amber eyes

Kestrelpaw - A white dappled tom with brown eyes and fluffy fur

 **Queens:** Eaglepoppy - A brown and white with golden eyes ( **Finchkit** : A brown flecked tabby she-kit)

**Elders:**

##  **Cats Outside The Clans**

Bad* - Traveling Loner; A large black tom with white markings, yellow eyes, and large fangs who wears a plaid bandana

Boffy* - Traveling Loner; A white tom with brown eyes

Zee* - Traveling Loner; A grey tom with purple eyes


	2. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mcyt cats in this chapter:
> 
> Frostdapple/George

_ “How much longer,” Duskpaw  _ complained. “My paws hurt.” His mentor shot him an annoyed look.

“We need to cross the thunderpath first, it’s about a tree-length from there to Mothermouth. Now pick up the pace, we need to be there before moon high!” No matter how many times the two toms made the trip, Duskpaw always complained about the long walk.  _ We live closest to Mothermouth too! _ Hareswirl though.

The two toms stopped once they reached the thunderpath, cutting through the grass like an ink-black river. Hareswirl wrinkled his nose, his ears pressing flat against his head to try to muffle the sounds of the monsters.

“On my signal, Duskpaw.” The apprentice nodded, watching his mentor closely, his body tense. A few heartbeats of silence and Hareswirl raised his tail, darting across the rough ground and to the other side, Duskpaw only a tail-length behind. 

The rest of the trip to Mothermouth was uneventful and quiet, save for the chirping of crickets and the occasional bark of a far off dog.

“Stay close,” Was all Hareswirl said before ducking into the tunnel that led down towards the moonstone, the scent of cats from other clans mingled in the stale air.  _ I guess we’re second to arrive. _ He thought.

“Good evening, Hareswirl and Duskpaw. I hope the journey wasn’t anything too bad tonight. The other’s should be here soon.” Maplewaters meowed, watching as his apprentice waved at the Windclan cats.

“It was uneventful as usual.” Hareswirl decided to sit next to the Thunderclan tom, “I’m surprised you got here before us.

“Our territories aren’t that far apart. We just left a bit early.”

“How’s Softpaw doing with paw-speak?” Duskpaw’s voice sounded in the cavern as he eyed the white she-cat, who simply smiled at him.

“She’s got a lot of it down. Maybe next gathering she can teach you some, she’s only so good at reading lips.”

The next to arrive was Frostdapple, the Riverclan medicine cat. He had been the sole medicine cat for a few moons now and wasn’t looking for an apprentice. It wasn’t a secret that a lot of cats doubted his skills; a former kittypet turned warrior who was injured to the point of losing the ability to balance properly and had become a medicine cat because of it.

Hareswirl didn’t see the big deal when it came to outsiders such as kittypets or loners. There was a group of loners that stayed with his clan often and they weren’t a thorn in anyone’s side. They helped with hunting and training and earned their keep. One of the toms - Bad - even helped him and Duskpaw out every so often. He hadn’t really met a kittypet and had only know Frostdapple by his clan names. 

“Hey, Frostdapple! I hope the trip didn’t trouble you much.” Maplewaters mewed, watching the Riverclan cat sit down next to Hareswirl. Thankfully, Frostdapple didn’t take the wording the wrong way.

“It was fine. Thankfully didn’t run into any trouble with the thunderpath.” It wasn’t much longer when Shadowclan’s medicine cats arrived.

“Seems Skyclan is last again,” Swanpaw stated, bemused.

“When  _ isn’t _ Skyclan last?” Duskpaw replied, padding up to Swanpaw and leading her to sit with him and Softpaw; they laughed.

“They live the furthest away from Mothermouth, you know.” Frostdapple chided and the two hearing apprentices rolled their eyes. “She’ll be here soon enough. If she misses moonhigh, we start without her.”

“That’s a little harsh.” The Skyclan she-cat spoke, pushing her way in to the enclosed space with the other cats. “What if we did that to you?” Frostdapple simply stuck his tongue out at her.

“Almost time,” Goldenpelt said, gazing up at the gaping hole above the Moonstone. After a few moments, the cave was lit up in a blinding light, though the medicine cats quickly adjusted. They moved and took their places, touching their noses to the Moonstone and closing their eyes.

When Hareswirl opened his eyes, he was greeted by a shimmering expanse of grass and trees.  _ Starclan. _ He looked around before his eyes landed on a familiar starry figure.

“Cloudwing!” He shouted, going to move to touch noses with his old mentor, but found he couldn't move.

“Be warned, a being in hooves and horns will soon take hold of the forest.”


	3. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mcyt cats in this chapter:
> 
> Bad - Badboyhalo  
> Cloudrunner - Dream  
> Birdleap - Skeppy  
> Halloweyes - Eret  
> Frostdapple - George  
> Boffy (mentioned) - Boffy  
> Zee (mentioned) - Wadzee

_The scent of rabbit filled Cloudrunner’s nose,_ far away and almost stale. If he was able to find it he was sure he’d catch it with ease! He was a fast runner, faster than some of his clan due to his long legs and lanky structure.  This, however, would be his first time trying to catch a rabbit alone. Usually, Windclan cats hunted in pairs, especially when it came to rabbits. He opened his mouth to taste the air, moving towards the scent of his target, making sure the wind wasn’t blowing behind him. He kept his paw steps light.  As soon as his eyes landed on it, he dropped to a crouch, slowly moving towards it. Then, before he could pounce, it lifted it’s head, having heard something, and dashed off.

“Haredung!” Cloudrunner swiped a paw at the ground, his tail lashing in frustration. “I swear if you cost me that kill, Birdleap!”

“Oh, sorry. You know I’m not used to hunting, especially when it comes to being in your territory.” The familiar voice of his mate made Cloudrunner scan the open field, and as soon as he spotted Frostdapple, he ran to him and pressed his face into the other tom’s neck.

“You really came all the way from Riverclan to see me? I’m flattered.” Frostdapple rolled his eyes.

“Go to our place?”

“Of course.”

‘Their place’ was an old badger den, the scent nearly gone completely by now, being replaced by the scent of the two toms. It was obscured from view by long grass and heather, the latter helping to mask the scent of a Riverclan cat.

“As much as I enjoy the surprise visit,” Cloudrunner started once they laid down and got comfortable, tails intertwined and pelts flush against each other, “you usually don't do this, what’s up?”

“I… I got a prophecy last half-moon gathering.” Cloudrunner began to lick his fur comfortingly, noticing his mate’s nervousness. “I… I don't understand it. You live near hooved creatures, I think it may have a lot to do to them.”

“What was the prophecy?”

“‘Be warned, a beast of hooves and horns will soon take hold of the forest.’” Frostdapple looked conflicted as he related what he had been told at the Moonstone. Cloudrunner seemed deep in thought. “I’ve had nightmares since too… A battlefield filled with dead and dying cats, fighting still going on…” He trailed off, his voice wet. The taller tom licked his head comfortingly and Frostdapple pressed himself further against his mate, hiding his face in his fur.

“What else, bunny?” He asked, voice soft and comforting. He hated seeing Frostdapple upset.

“Y-You uh…” He lifted his head, looking around. Cloudrunner found it to be amusing, seeing as there was nobody but them out here. He knew the patrol schedule like the back of his paw unless someone came over here while hunting they were safe.

But Cloudrunner also knew what that meant.

The soft sniffle confirmed his thoughts, curling himself around his mate as best he could to try and comfort him as he sobbed into his fur.

“Y-You saved me from someone a-and-” He sobbed, flashes of his dreams playing in his mind, the gore a contrast to Cloudrunner’s grounding licks and warmth. “I watched you die…” Frostdapple broke down into a new wave of sobs, the thought of his mate dying in front of him and him not being able to do anything… He shivered, pressing his fluffy body closer to the lithe tom.

“Hey, hey… It’s okay, bunny. You’re okay, I’m here…” The scent of the smaller tom’s fear was sour on Cloudrunner’s tongue. He wanted to drag those nightmares out of his mate’s brain and tear them to shreds. He knew being a medicine cat was hard but Frostdapple hadn’t come to him with nightmares before. Frostdapple sniffled, he had stopped crying which was good, but his fear was still palpable.

“Just… be careful you big furball.” Frostdapple stated, voice slightly muffled by Cloudrunner’s fur.

“I’m  _ always _ careful.” He wheezed out a laugh as he was hit over the head with a sheathed paw.

“You’re mousebrained is what you are! You’re so reckless!” 

“And yet you love me~”

“Somehow.”

-

Cloudrunner gave Frostdapple a final lick as he left to go back to Riverclan. He huffed softly, he would need to catch a good amount of prey before he went back to camp. He couldn’t tell how long he spent cuddled against the Riverclan Medicine cat, but he was sure it was awhile.

“What were you doing?” Cloudrunner nearly jumped out of his fur, turning to look at one of the travelling loners that had been staying in camp with them.

“I-I wasn’t doing anything, Bad.” He cursed himself for stuttering and the black cat smiled wide.

“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna tell anyone.” He let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding in. “I actually came to help you hunt! Figured since you were out of camp for so long you might need it.”

“Cats were starting to notice?”

“Only a few. I offered to go find you.” He said, beginning to trot off, Cloudrunner followed. “Didn’t catch anything?”

“Frostdapple scared away the rabbit I was after.” 

“I’m sure there’s still plenty of prey out! It’ll be sundown in a few hours, so we have enough time to hunt before it gets too dark.” Cloudrunner gave him a look, though Bad used odd words a lot. Especially muffin.

“Bad, I have no fucking clue how long that is.” He laughed as the black tom let out a hiss of ‘language’. “Seriously, what’s an hour?”

“You clan-cats are so weird, what do you mean you don't know what an hour is?”

“Hey, not everyone spends time around twolegs.”

“Yeah, yeah. C’mon, we’re burning daylight!” Bad picked up his pace and Cloudrunner quickly followed.

-

“Whoa! You guys really were busy, huh?” Birdleap greeted as the pair walked down the slope that led into Windclan camp, going up to Bad and briefly touching noses with him.

“We have a few more catches out of camp still. Wanna help carry it? We’ll probably need it.” Cloudrunner asked as soon as he dropped the prey he was carrying in the fresh-kill pile, watching as Bad did the same.

“Oh, sure! How much did you two even catch?”

“Some moorhens, mainly rabbits and hares though.” Birdleap nodded, helping the two bring the rest of the prey back to camp. 

Birdleap and Bad shared a plump rabbit near the hill that led into and out of the camp. Cloudrunner grabbed a smalled piece of prey and sat by the warrior's den to eat.

“Hey, mind if I join you?” The voice of the clan’s deputy rang in Cloudrunner’s ears, he let out a hum, motioning for the other tom to sit down. “Great job out there, you and Bad caught a lot of prey, we should be good for a while.”

“Oh, it was nothing, really! Honestly, I wouldn’t’ve been able to catch all that prey without Bad.” He paused. “How’re Boffy and Zee doing?”

“They’re excellent tunnelers! They picked up on everything very quick and helped us get that tunnel to the border done! I was starting to think it would never get finished. How Bad doing as a moor runner?”

“Oh, he’s great at it! He really took to hunting rabbits, he’s a great hunting partner.” He smiled while talking about his friend, proud at how well the loner had adapted. “When are they leaving?”

“I think the day after the next gathering. It’s always sad to see them go.” Halloweyes said, his gaze landing on Bad, Boffy, Zee, and Birdleap. The four of them chatting with each other while Birdleap shared tongues with Bad.

“Yeah, it is…” Cloudrunner trailed, blinking slowly. Birdleap had gotten close to the group of travelling cats, to the point where he and Bad were mates. He yawned and stretched, saying a quick good night to Halloweyes and padding into his den, curling in his nest and falling asleep quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Always love to see the side of Frostdapple he only shows around his mate.


	4. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mcyt cats in this chapter:
> 
> Frostdapple - George  
> Rainheart - Quackity  
> Foxpaw - Fundy  
> Salmonsong - Wilbur  
> Petalmouse (mentioned) - Niki

_ Frostdapple’s steps faltered as he passed over the Riverclan border.  _ He hoped he didn’t smell of Windclan, and that the number of herbs he collected on his way back would be enough to make up for his long time outside of camp.

With a flick of his ear, he padded into the camp, fur prickling in slight annoyance at the eyes on him.  _ What do they think I am? Incompetent? _

“Wow, looks like the kittypet can't even find herbs well.” Frostdapple swallowed the growl that clawed its way up his throat, casting a sideways glance at the blue-grey tom. “You should just go back to your twolegs already, we don’t need a useless cat taking up space in this clan.” He simply made his way to the medicine den.

“What? Did we get under your fur?” Foxpaw said like he was talking to a kit, voice mocking.  _ I’m going to look for death berries after this I swear to Starclan… _ He continued to ignore them, setting his herbs down and sorting them. It was a bit harder for him than it would be for other cats, he couldn’t really  _ see _ green, so most of the herbs looked the same to him. He learned to tell them apart by scent. Suddenly a fluffy red tail knocked his herbs off of the tiny clay shelf that had been built.

“Oops~”

“Do you two need something?” He snapped, turning to face the two. “Or are you just going to be massive thorns in my side?” Rainheart snorted.

“What? It’s not like you have anything you can do properly here. You can’t even see what colour these herbs are.” Frostdapple rubbed a paw over his face. This is the reason he didn’t like being in Riverclan.

“I can sort my herbs just fine, but it’s a little difficult with two mousebrained cats knocking my shit over.” He growled. He looked to the small apprentice. “You should be training with Salmonsong, anyways. You know he’ll make you clean the elder’s den for a few moons if you keep this up, right?” Foxpaw wrinkled his nose at the idea.

“As if he’ll listen to you.” Foxpaw lashed his tail. Frostdapple was getting fed up.

“Let’s see for ourselves then, shall we?” He got up and began to pad out of the den, fully intent of finding the fluffy brown tom and tell him to get control of his son before he clawed the apprentice’s ears off. Just as he was at the entrance, Rainheart bumped into his side roughly, causing him to fall over with a ‘thud.’

“Sorry about that, kittypet~” Rainheart purred, trotting off, Foxpaw not far behind. He growled.

“Next time one of them comes to me with an injury I’m making sure it gets infected.” Frostdapple shifted his weight and stood.  _ At least I can sort my herbs now. _

As he gathered what had been knocked off of the clay shelf, he began to think. His dreams still plagued him; they had to mean something. Was it a prophecy? Was Starclan going to punish him for not only taking a mate but one from another clan? He couldn’t help but tie the nightmares back to his visit to the Moonstone, the words echoed in his ears.

He didn’t spend much time in Windclan territory unless he was on the way to Mothermouth or visiting Cloudrunner, but he’s seen some of the large, hooved creatures. Some had horns too, but not all of them. He huffed softly. Maybe he should go back to ask Cloudrunner about it.

_ He does know more about those creatures than I do… I think I know what one of them is… A horse is what my twolegs would call it. _ He began putting the herbs away, matching them by smell and shape. “Why is Starclan always so vague.” He wondered aloud. “Stupid prophecies and dreams. It’s all a load of badger droppings if you ask me… They could not be vaguer if they tried.”

“I see that prophecy you got the other day is bugging you still.” A small smile found it’s way onto Frostdapple’s face.

“Hello, Salmonsong.” He greeted, not turning away from his herbs. “And yes, it has been. I don't understand what it’s supposed to even mean! Then I have to deal with Rainheart and Foxpaw’s dumb antics, and on top of that leaf-bare is in a few moons!” His voice was laced with exasperation. “I have to stock up a bit in advance because if I don't I probably won’t be able to find anything that’s usable.”

“Yeah, leaf-bare is always rough, especially for us. The river ices over and we can barely get any fish. The only thing we can rely on is water voles and water shrews. Mice too if we can find any.” Salmonsong rested his tail on Frostdapple’s back.

“I have a bad feeling about this prophecy… these dreams I’ve been having…” He trailed, shaking away the thoughts of watching his mate die in front of him. “A really big battle is coming, I just don’t know when or with who.”

“Well, if you ever need a helping paw with finding herbs and I’m not busy, I’ll be glad to help.” Usually, a comment like that would make Frostdapple bristle and he’d snap and say he was more than capable of doing it himself. But he knew Salmonsong and knew that the fluffy tom wasn’t offering due to lack of faith in his skills.

“Thank you, I’ll keep it in mind,” After a heartbeat, he added, “do you even know which herbs look like what?”

“How hard could it be?” Frostdapple laughed. “What? I’m sure it’s not  _ too _ hard.”

“What? You want me to train you as a medicine cat?” He joked.

“You could teach me a little bit, just in case something happens are you aren’t in camp.” Frostdapple shook his head fondly.

“If you’re willing to memorise common herbs, their uses, and how to use them, then be my guest. Just don’t complain when you’re bored out of your mind.”

“Oh shut up, you know I wouldn’t care.” 

“You also have an apprentice and warrior duties to do. Unless you wanna be trained as a medicine cat I can only teach you the basics.”

“Fair enough, I still want to help. At least until you finally stop being stubborn and get an apprentice.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault kits don't like me.”

“You’re the snappy one!” Frostdapple huffed in defeat. He had a point, his irritability probably did turn cats away.

“Hey, you never know, maybe one of Shrewberry’s kits will wanna become a medicine cat. And I wouldn’t be so snappy if it wasn’t for Rainheart and Foxpaw, those two are a constant pain in my tail!”

“What did they do this time?” Salmonsong asked, sitting next to Frostdapple and watching him put away the remainder of the herbs, the small pockets in the cave wall making for great storage areas.

“Well for a start they knocked over my herbs while I was sorting them, which made me need to go through them  _ again _ and it’s not very fun having to make sure all the herbs you collected and brought back can still be used. You know how long it takes to sort herbs by scent alone too. Then they knocked me over. Honestly, I’m not sure what they’re trying to do but if they keep it up I’m sneaking death berries into their herbs.” Salmonsong chuckled at that.

“I’ll talk to Foxpaw about it. He should know to respect a medicine cat by now, no matter their origin.”

“Yeah, he can’t be one to talk.” Salmonsong snorted softly. Frostdapple was the only cat - aside from himself and Petalmouse - who knew that Foxpaw was half-clan. Frostdapple was flattered that Salmonsong trusted him with such information. It was only fair if he trusted the other tom with his biggest secret. And he did.

They sat there for a while, making idle conversation. Occasionally Frostdapple would share some of his knowledge about herbs with the large warrior, quizzing him later. Eventually, Salmonsong had to leave, dusk patrol. Frostdapple took the time to eat before double-checking his herbs. He curled up in his nest, almost scared to sleep. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take seeing his mate die in front of him. Slowly but surely, he drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gogy centric chapter??? who would've thought


	5. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mcyt cats in this chapter:
> 
> Frostdapple - George  
> Cloudrunner (Mentioned) - Dream  
> Foxpaw (Mentioned) - Fundy  
> Rainheart (Mentioned) - Quackity  
> Potatoclaw (Mentioned) - Technoblade  
> Beepaw (Mentioned Vaguely) - Tubbo  
> Ramfang (Mentioned Vaguely) - JSchlatt
> 
> slight gore cw!

The first thing Frostdapple noticed were the colours. Shades of red and black… He had a sinking feeling in his gut as he looked around.

He was standing in a field of black grass, coarse and dead under his paws. The tree’s bark was a crimson colour, it reminded Frostdapple of freshly spilt blood, the trees were barren of leaves and their branches nearly covered the inky black sky. There were no stars. He blinked, looking about frantically for the familiar white-blue border.

He had never been to the Dark Forest before.

“Oh! It’s nice of you to finally join us, Frostdapple~” He whipped around, pressing his non-folded ear back, fur puffing up. Before him stood a ghostly cat, white and black with his stomach torn open. His guts were hanging out. Frostdapple swallowed thickly.

“Who are you? Why am I here?!” He demanded, unsheathing his claws. He had to fight back the urge to vomit as the tom’s guts dragged on the ground, his fur dripping a constant stream of blood.

“Me? I’m Stormthroat. As for why you’re here…” He trailed, beginning to walk and flicking his tail to tell Frostdapple to follow.

He reluctantly did so.

“Truth be told, we’ve been watching you for some time. You seem to have a lot of resentment towards your clan. And it’s very justified, they don’t see the potential you have. Medicine cats like you are special, your herb knowledge can be used to take revenge on those who wronged you.” They soon arrived in a clearing. A stream, dark and murky, cut through the land and a large boulder sat by some of the trees. He could barely pick out the scents of the cats gathered over the smell of blood and death.

Most cats seemed like shadows to him, obscured by the darkness. They tumbled around, groups of writhing and yowling fur and claws. He could only imagine how much that would hurt. He could pick out a few figures from the crowd, though. The largest tom was from Shadowclan, an ex-Bloodclan cat named Potatoclaw, he was watching a smaller brown tom with approval. The next cat that caught his attention was Rainheart, his blue-grey pelt sticking out against the red. Rainheart’s fur always stuck out against other cats to Frostdapple. He would be lying if he said he was surprised he was training in literal cat hell. He wasn’t, however, prepared to see a small ginger tom with fox-like markings training there.

_ Foxpaw… _ His eyes lingered on the apprentice. He picked out one other cat from the crowd, a mottled grey tom with bloodied paws. The Thunderclan deputy if he recalled correctly. He was thankful to not see Cloudrunner amongst the chaos, he didn’t know what he’d do then, seeing his mate train here. Sealing his fate, not being able to walk with him in Starclan… Frostdapple pushed the thought away.

“We’re here to offer you something special, Frostdapple.” He turned to face the black and white tom. “We’re here to offer you some once-in-a-lifetime training. You can finally get back at your clanmates. They will never doubt your skills again.”

Frostdapple’s stomach sank as he watched the fighting, unable to tear his eyes away from it. It was almost just like his dream. He took a tentative step backwards.

“As much as I… appreciate the offer. I think I’ll pass.”

Frostdapple shot up in his nest with a start, the scent of blood and death faint on his tongue. “Fuck this. Not tonight, not dealing with this bullshit.” He stood, quickly and quietly making his way out of camp. He sat by the river, having made his way to the point closest to Windclan’s territory. He kinda wished Cloudrunner was with him. He looked from the rushing water to the sky, no longer inky black and star-less.

He wasn’t able to see the sky this well from Riverclan. The stars shone brightly, each telling a story. He could recall a few off the top of his head.

The Father, it was the brightest star in the sky and always pointed north, apparently, it’s the founder of Windclan watching over their territory. Two large connections of stars were called The Lion and The Tiger, said to be all the warriors that fought in Lionclan and Tigerclan. Then there was Silverpelt. He couldn’t help but stare in awe every time he saw it; the large, glittering band of ancient warriors that stretched as far as the eye could see, swirling and sparkling. It was ethereal. 

And most importantly, it was peaceful here.


	6. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mcyt cats in this chapter:
> 
> foxpaw: fundy  
> frostdapple: George  
> cloudrunner: dream  
> salmonsong (mentioned): wilbur

Foxpaw awoke with an ache in his side, blood welling in the wound and staining his fur. He sighed. He needed to see Frostdapple.  _ Time to think of an excuse… _

Looking out of the apprentice den, he could see that is was nearing sunrise. The dawn patrols would be out soon, and he was supposed to go on one with Salmonsong. He found himself wishing that Rainheart was his mentor instead.

With a soft sigh, he carefully made his way out of the den, the air was thick and muggy.  _ Rain today. _ He just hoped it wouldn’t be too bad, a drizzle at most. He padded his way to the medicine den, pushing himself through the crack within the rock, strands of ivy hanging over the entrance.

“Yes?” He wondered why Frostdapple was up. He was expecting to have needed to wake the grumpy tom. “What is it, Foxpaw? Unless you’re hurt or something, get out.” Foxpaw internally flinched at the cat’s harsh tone.

“My side’s bleeding.” He stated simply, sitting down and watching as the other stood and moved to sniff at the wound. He looked to Foxpaw sceptically, going to fetch some cobwebs and oak leaves. The apprentice grimaced as the poultice was lathered over his side.

“So.” Foxpaw’s head snapped up. “Cat hell, huh? Didn’t think you’d be foolish enough for that.” He bristled.

“I’m sorry,  _ what _ ?”

“Well, Starclan is cat heaven, so that means the Dark Forest is cat hell. Wanna tell me what you’re doing there?” Foxpaw stood, not giving the brown and white tom time to cover his wound with cobweb. He could feel the irritation radiating off of him.  _ Rainheart would be so proud of me! _

“Sit back down.” Frostdapple spat.

“How the  _ fuck _ do you know.” Foxpaw unsheathed his claws, but was only angered when the tom in front of him didn’t flinch, he didn't seem to be effected at all.

“I saw you. Makes sense you didn't scent me, the smell of blood and death is unbearable. Now sit down so I can treat your stupid scratch mousebrain!”

“What were you doing in the Dark Forest? Gonna train there? You’re not as innocent as anyone thought.”

“No, idiot, some gutted cat tried to get me to train there. He must be bat-blind to think I’d fall for that.” A heartbeat of silence. “Gonna tell me what you’re doing there?”   
  


“Why do you wanna know?!”

“Because we might not be as different as you think. Now, are you go-”

“I am  _ nothing _ like you!” Foxpaw snarled, fur puffing out. “You might be a useless kittypet but at least I can fight for myself! I’m not trapped in a position I can’t even do correctly!”

“Foxpaw…” He warned.

“No! Shut up! You’re the most mousebrained cat I’ve ever met!” And with that, he stormed out of the den. Frostdapple groaned, wrapping the cobweb back with the rest of his stock.

The tom decided to go through his supply, wanting to be prepared for the upcoming leaf-bare. 

“Let’s see… Nearly out of celandine, shouldn’t be too hard to find. I should stock up on chickweed and coltsfoot, just in case. Hm… I’m nearly out of comfrey, too. I’m good on cobwebs, so that’s good…” After checking over his whole storage, he figured out where he needed to go and set off out of camp, passing by the dawn patrol as they were leaving. He nodded to Salmonsong, pointedly ignoring his brat of an apprentice. 

He went through his mental check-list as to where he needed to go to find the herbs he needed. He knew he’d probably have to go to snakerocks at some point. He huffed at the thought.  _ I really don't want to ask a warrior to come with me there but… _ He shook his head, deciding to focus on finding what he could.

Finding the coltsfoot was easy enough, it was by the waterfall in his territory. He stumbled across some feverfew along the way back, growing along the bank, he nipped at the stems and carried them with him as he crossed over into Thunderclan territory. He wasn’t too worried about being caught by a patrol, he was allowed to cross borders as long as it was for gathering herbs or communing with other medicine cats.

He made his way along, nipping at and gathering the plants he needed until his senses were clogged, yet he still needed to make his way to Windclan territory for the last of his herbs. As he padded through the long grass of the moor, he stumbled upon an apprentice, crouched down and hiding in the grass. He tilted his head and small ginger tabby motioned for him to be quiet.

“Oh, Russetpaw~” Frostdapple had  _ never _ heard Cloudrunner say anything in that tone. It was bone-chilling. “Where are yooooou~?”

_ Oh. I guess there’s a game of ‘rabbit chase’ going on. _ He mused, beginning to pad away. He heard of rabbit chase before, Cloudrunner had told him about it (followed by Birdleap saying how terrifyingly good of a hunter he was). They had something similar in Riverclan, although it was waterbased. 

“Come out to play, Russetpaw, the heather can’t hide you forever~!” In the distance, Frostdapple spotted the yellow tom, stalking along the grass and heather, keeping his steps muted. He watched the tom open his mouth to scent the air before his eyes drifted over to Frostdapple. He nodded at his mate in greeting before continuing along his way. He only needed a bit more goldenrod and he’d be good.

As he bent down, gathering the last of what he needed, he heard a screech, as well as an orange shape dart past him.

“C’mere Russetpaw!” Only a few moments later, his mate raced past him, before skidding to a halt. He looked over to Frostdapple and smiled, trotting up to his mate and nuzzling him. “Be safe on your way back. Say hi to Salmonsong for me too, okay?” Frostdapple nodded, unable to speak through a mouth-full of herbs. With a quick lick to the top of his head, Cloudrunner took off after the apprentice again. Frostdapple watched his mate fondly, the competitiveness back full force before he limped off back to his own territory.

He’d come back later to talk with Hareswirl about the prophecy, for now, he had duties to attend to.


	7. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MCYT cats in this chapter
> 
> Boffy - Boffy  
> Zee - Wadzee  
> Bad (mentioned) - Badboyhalo  
> Birdleap (mentioned) - Skeppy  
> Halloweyes (mentioned) - Eret

_Even through the tunnels, the pounding of paw-steps above was audible._ Boffy shifted as well as he could, hoping that the game of rabbit chase going on wouldn’t disturb the construction, or worse, cause a cave-in. Halloweyes had told him not to worry, and to keep the work up so they could reach the gorge through there.

Boffy could also sense Zee, his confidence in their job was something to be envied, something he’d only seen in the clan-born tunnelers. It’s not that he didn’t like working down here, he did! According to Halloweyes he and Zee were naturals! He guessed it came down the possibility of cave-ins and floods. The pure darkness was unsettling at first, but he had grown used to it.

He used his claws to dig through the tunnels, pushing rocks into the walls to stabilize them and dragging the mud and clay along the walls and ground to smooth it out. It was just him and Zee down here today and Boffy had to admit he was flattered that Halloweyes trusted them enough to dig the tunnel out alone. Bad was always so interested in hearing about their days when they were working underground, asking question after question.

_ “How do you guys tell where you’re going down there? It’s so dark!” _ Was the question he and Zee had been asked most recently by their companion. He was part of the moor-runners. While they worked underground, the moor-runners flew across the open landscape above, mainly in charge of patrols and hunting, sometimes even scouting out new locations for potential tunnels. 

He had to admit, the dynamic the clan cats had here was interesting. Two groups with separate sets of skills lived in the same clan and helped each other out. Compared to what he had been told about the other clans, this was something special to Windclan. He supposed it made sense, the tunnels allowed for surprise attacks if needed, and also proved useful for hunting and traversing their open territory. Tunnelers were needed to make Windclan what it was, no matter how dangerous the job was, he and the other tunnelers took pride in their part of the clan’s dynamic. 

One thing he had noticed over the many, many moons spent in this territory was how proud the clan-cats were. Boffy had asked Sunwing, another tunneler, about why that was. He was told it was because they had a stronger connection with Starclan and the Ancients, sleeping under the open sky without it being obscured by trees. How they used the stars in a way no other clan could. He even explained the importance of both tunnelling and moor-running.

“How much longer do you think it’ll be before we reach the gorge?” Boffy asked, not stopping his work as Zee pushed mud, dirt, rocks, and clay back to him to smooth out and stabilize the path. Zee hummed thoughtfully.

“Hm… Maybe a day or so? I can hear it very faintly in the distance.” He said, creating a turn in the tunnel, going in the direction of the new sound of rushing water.

“Good. It’ll be done before we leave then.”

“We might even be able to start a new tunnel too! I wonder where we’d build it though…”

“Maybe we might just smooth out and stabilize the other tunnels. I remember Firechaser saying something about the tunnels being more dangerous during leaf-bare.” Zee nodded, though Boffy could barely see it. Even with his eyes adjusted to the darkness, it was still difficult to see. After what felt more like hours than minutes, Boffy spoke again.

“Do you think Bad will wanna stay?” Zee was quiet for a long moment.

“I’m… Not entirely sure. Aren’t he and Birdleap courting?”

“Yea, they are.” He paused. “What if he does stay?”

“We can figure that out when we get there, we don't have to leave for a few pawfulls of sunrises.” Boffy decided to simply hum in agreement.  _ It’s best not to worry about it for now. _


	8. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mcyt cats in this chapter:  
> Frostdapple - George  
> Cloudrunner (mentioned very vaguely at the end) - Dream

_Duskpaw watched as his mentor paced, sure he was_ going to wear a new path into the dust ground in their dugout medicine den.

“Seriously, what is it supposed to mean? I haven’t seen anything else related to it, and I don’t think it’s the hooved creatures that live near the twoleg farm. How could they take over the forest?”

“I dunno… It’s an interesting prophecy, that’s for sure. Do you think it has to do with a clan cat?” Hareswirl stopped his pacing, looking deep in thought.

“Possibly… but what clan? I wish we could just be given another sign. Starclan can be so vague…” 

Duskpaw hadn’t been a medicine cat for too long, maybe a few moons by now, and this was his first time receiving a prophecy. A direct prophecy. When he visited the Moonstone before, it had mainly been visions or warnings of something going to happen within his own clan. Never something like… this.

“Should we ask the other medicine cats? Maybe they got some sort of sign.” The pale tabby nodded.

“That’s probably the best course of action.” He paused for a heartbeat, going to speak again before he was cut off.

“Hey,” Stagspring poked her head into the medicine den, “you have a visitor.” Hareswirl quirked an eyebrow but made his way out of the den anyways, Duskpaw not too far behind. Standing at the end up the hill was Frostdapple, Riverclan’s medicine cat. Hareswirl raised his tail in greeting, trotting up to the fluffy tom.

“Frostdapple! Pleasure to see you. What brings you to Windclan?”

“It’s great to see you both as well. As for why I’m here… We should speak in the medicine den.” Duskpaw could sense the nervousness radiating off of both cats as the three of them trotted back into the den. Hareswirl flicked his tail before nodding towards their stock, Duskpaw took the massage and made his way over to organise it.

“The prophecy,” Frostdapple stated. “There are only two things it could be talking about but… I’m not sure what to make of either of my interpretations.” He paused. “Have you been having any dreams related to it?”

“No, I haven’t. Neither has Duskpaw.” Frostdapple hummed.

“Well… I have a feeling that there’s a battle coming. A big one. After we visited the Moonstone I’ve been having these… nightmares. I can only think that they have something to do with the prophecy.” Duskpaw heard Frostdapple shift uncomfortably.

“I… I keep seeing the river running red, cats from Riverclan and… some others? They’re never clear, looking like silhouettes. I can’t make out anyone aside from my clan. Everyone was fighting, cats were bleeding out on the ground. So… So many cats were dead. I couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything to help them.” The tom’s distressed scent touched Duskpaw’s tongue, he frowned, looking to the two older cats. Hareswirl seemed deep in thought but bumped his head on Frostdapple’s shoulder in a show of comforting.

“So, it might have something to do with the clans considering your visions. Which clan I’m not sure of…”

“But we also can’t rule out non-clan beasts. That’s one of the reasons why I came here, actually. You know a lot more about those hooved creatures than I do.”

“Starclan has been so vague too, I haven’t been able to make out anything in the stars.”

“The river won’t give away anything either. It’s so frustrating…” Frostdapple swiped the ground with his good paw. “But… I suggest you prepare. Leafbear is close and I have a sinking feeling that battle is too…” Hareswirl nodded.

“I can carry word to the other clans if you’d like?”

“I’ll take care of Thunderclan if you don't mind taking Skyclan and Shadowclan.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Hareswirl pressed his muzzle against Frostdapple’s head. “Be safe.”

“You too. If you think you’ve found anything out don’t hesitate to visit me. I’ll come to you if I have any more dreams or if I find anything out from the rivers.” With that, Frostdapple limped out of the den and out of camp, one of the moor-runners walking with him to make sure he would be okay in Thunderclan’s territory.

“I’ll be back, Duskpaw. Stay here and keep track of things.” Hareswirl pressed his muzzle against the apprentice’s forehead before padding out of the den and making his way to Skyclan.


	9. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mcyt cats in this chapter:  
> redpaw - tommy  
> saptooth - sapnap  
> frostdapple - George  
> cloudrunner - dream  
> lilacfeather (mentioned) - karl

“Come on, Redpaw, show me what you’ve got!” Saptooth’s meow rang through the clearing surrounding the training hallow. He and his apprentice were training alone today, Something Saptooth always preferred, it meant he could focus more and not have to yell at Redpaw to pay attention. Said apprentice wasted no time in flinging himself at his mentor, who ducked out of the way.

“You gave away what you were going to do with your eyes” Saptooth explained, watching Redpaw stand back up. “Let’s see if you remember how to counter.”

Saptooth took a combative stance, keeping his claws sheathed. He saw Redpaw watching his every move, calculating to see what attack Saptooth might go for. He took a combative stance, mirroring his mentor with practised ease. Pride bubbled in Saptooth’s chest. Redpaw might’ve been easily distracted but he took to things quickly. 

The two circled each other before Saptooth sprang forwards, crashing into Redpaw and knocking the wind out of him briefly. Before Saptooth could make another move, Redpaw’s hindlegs rested on his stomach and gave a powerful kick, throwing Saptooth off. Redpaw quickly stood back up and ran towards his mentor, leaping at him and holding onto his back and biting on Saptooth’s scruff and shaking his head violently.

Saptooth let out a hiss, quickly dropping and rolling over, feeling his apprentice leap off before he could get squished. He gave Redpaw an approving nod, who’s tail lifted at the silent praise. Before any words could be said, Saptooth began running at his apprentice again, who crouched, eyes trained over him. Once in range, this cream and ginger tabby swept out with a powerful paw, unbalancing his mentor, before he slammed into him, the two of them rolling in the dust.

Saptooth grunted as his apprentice scratched at his stomach with his hind claws. Saptooth quickly lifted his paw and brought it down on the apprentices head, who stumbled off of him and shook his head, brain buzzing with stars from the blow.

Saptooth took the opportunity to raise himself up on his hind legs, going to bring his weight down on the dazed tom. Redpaw quickly flipped over onto his back, sliding under Saptooth and flinging the larger tom away to a confident and powerful kick. Saptooth landed with a loud grunt before he felt a paw resting on the back of his neck.

“Dead.” Redpaw’s voice was confident as he declared himself the winner. Saptooth chuckled, standing up.

“Not half bad, kit. You’ve gotten good at unbalancing, didn’t even think you were going for that move.” Redpaw puffed his chest out, enjoying the praise given by the black and white tom. Just as Saptooth was about to suggest hunting practice, a rustle in the bushes alerted the two. He crouched down, motioning with his tail for Redpaw to do the same. Saptooth scented the air.

_ Riverclan and Windclan? _ The two, toms by the scent of them, were talking. They were far enough away as to where Saptooth couldn’t quite make out their voices. With slow and silent paw steps, the two Thunderclan cats crept forward.

“-you didn’t have to come with me.” The voice of Riverclan’s medicine cat came into hearing distance.

“Okay but you know that Thunderclan cats will attack any non-Thunderclan cat on their territory, right?” Saptooth recognised the voice as Cloudrunner, his best friend. He stood and sighed, making his way to greet them, Redpaw a few paces behind.

“What brings you two here?” He asked, always happy to see his two friends. They looked to him in surprise, shifting to stand a bit further apart when they saw Redpaw. 

“I need to speak with Maplewaters and Softpaw,” Frostdapple said simply.

“Ah, official medicine cat business,” Redpaw said, earning a fond headshake from his mentor.

“That doesn’t explain why you’ve got Cloudrunner with you.”

“Well, he visited Windclan first so I’m escorting him to Thunderclan and then back to Riverclan.” Saptooth snickered. Of course, Cloudrunner would offer to escort his mate.

“Well, Redpaw and I just finished up battle training so we can bring you two to camp.” Saptooth didn’t wait for an answer as he began his way back to Thunderclan’s camp. He told Redpaw to stay outside with Cloudrunner, knowing his apprentice would try to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“You are… really tall,” Redpaw said after a few moments. The Windclan tom laughed. Redpaw knew that most Windclan cats had longer legs but he’d never seen a cat as tall as Cloudrunner.

“Maybe you’re just short.” He flicked the apprentice with his tail in a good-natured way.

“You’re as big as a badger! What do they even feed you in Windclan?!” Redpaw yelped, startled as the tall tom let out a loud wheeze.

“You’ve probably only seen tunnelers. Then again, I’m a bit lankier than your average moor-runner.”

“Tunnelers? Moor-runners?” He tilted his head, blue eyes trained on the warrior with confusion.

“Oh, it’s a dynamic exclusive to Windclan. Sometimes I forget it’s not common knowledge.” They stayed like that for a while, Redpaw asking Cloudrunner questions and him answering them as much as he could.

“Cloudrunner?” Said tom lifted his head, looking to the Riverclan medicine cat and smiling. He stood. “Ready to go?”

“You know it.”

“Be safe, you two!” Saptooth appeared from the bramble tunnel which led into camp.

“We will. See you soon?”

“Hopefully at the next gathering.” The three exchanged goodbyes before the two toms made their way towards Riverclan territory.

“You guys seem close,” Redpaw said, following his mentor back into the training hallow. “How long have you known each other?”

“We’ve been friends since we were apprentices. At first, it was just me and Cloudrunner, the Frostdapple joined us, and then Lilacfeather after him.”

“You four were a squad!”

“That we were. We’re still super close too. Always sit with each other at gatherings… It’s nice to have friends outside of your own clan.” They left it at that, starting their hunting practice.


	10. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mcyt cats in this chapter:  
> salmonsong - wilbur  
> frostdapple - George  
> rainheart (mentioned) - quackity  
> foxpaw (mentioned) - fundy

Frostdapple couldn’t sleep. His dreams were plagued by nightmares of all sorts, leafbare being in a few sunrises caused a chill which only served to make his twisted foreleg ache. He still couldn’t get that damned prophecy out of his head.

He had to keep a close eye on Foxpaw and Rainheart.

No matter how much the two of them were both a big pain in his tail, he had a job to do. He needed to make sure everyone in his clan, as well as others if it came down to it, were well taken care of. Speaking of which…

He currently had Eelkit in his den, the tom having caught a case of kitten cough. He laid in one of the nests, made of moss, reeds, and feathers, sneezing and sniffling frequently. Eelkit fell into another coughing fit and Frostdapple limped over to him quickly. He leaned down and sniffed the kit’s head.  _ He has a fever… _ He made his way over to his herb supply, thankful that lavender was one of the few herbs that stuck out to him most, looking to be a bright blue.

He grabbed a stalk of the flower between his teeth and positioned it under the kit’s nose. He needed to get some honey or water-soaked moss. Eelkit’s throat was probably extremely sore and raw.

It was times like this where he wished he had an apprentice.

After a few moments, he slowly stood from his position in front of the kit and limped to the entrance of the medicine den. He was thankful that it was sun-high, meaning someone would be able to help him out. He scanned the clearing before his eyes landed on a fluffy brown tom, currently sunning.

“Salmonsong!” He called, just loud enough to get his attention. He lifted his head to look at the medicine cat, who jerked his head towards his den before heading inside. It wasn’t long before Salmon song made his way into the den.

“What’s up?” Before Frostdapple could answer, Eelkit sneezed.

“Eelkit has kitten cough. Could you fetch me some water for him?”

“Yeah, of course. Where do you keep your moss?”

“Should be on the edge of the clay shelf, large yellow clump.” Salmonsong gave him a confused look before he was struck by the realization.

“Oh, right, you’re colourblind.” Frostdapple chuckled at that, and Salmonsong grabbed the moss and made his way to one of the streams in Riverclan territory. Leafbare wasn’t here just yet so the river hadn’t frozen over.

Once he returned back to the medicine den and set it in front of the brown kitten, who weakly lapped at it.

“Thanks. Might need your help a little bit more while he recovers. Can’t really leave him by himself, y’know?”

“Yeah, I get it. You know I don’t mind helping you out.”

“I appreciate it. I really need to get an apprentice soon…”

“Hey, you never know, you might get a certain kit interested while he’s cooped up in here.” Frostdapple’s eyes drifted to the tiny tom. It seemed like his breathing had evened out and he seemed to be more awake. “How old are they anyways?”

“They’re… 4 or so moons old, I think? Maybe 4 and a half.”

“Oh, they’re going to be apprentices soon! I wonder who their mentors will be…”

“I hope to Starclan neither of them get Rainheart. He’d be the worst influence, Foxpaw is the living proof of that.” The two laughed

“Hawkdawn hasn’t had an apprentice in a while, maybe one of them will get him?”

“Maybe…” Frostdapple’s gaze softened the more he stared at the kitten. He never had a soft spot for young cats, he didn’t like them coming into the medicine den and messing with his herbs. He thought that, for the most part, they were annoying. Eelkit didn’t seem too awful, though. Even though he was here for kitten cough he seemed to find interest in the many herbs and had come into the medicine den a few times beforehand. As long as he wasn’t causing any issues, Frostdapple let him stay. 

“I do hope he is. He’s in here a lot, actually.” Frostdapple looked away from the kit and to Salmonsong. “One of the few kits who don't come in here and mess with stuff. He asks a lot of questions about it too.”

“Hey! Looks like you may just get one in the next few moons!” Salmonsong bumped his shoulder against Frostdapple’s.

“I can only hope. I’ll be needing the help soon if my gut instinct is correct…”


	11. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mcyt cats in this chapter; graphic depictions of gore in this chapter
> 
> beepaw - tubbo  
> potatoclaw (mentioned) - techno  
> foxpaw (mentioned) - fundy

Beepaw never liked the Dark Forest. 

It was dark and smelled like blood and decay, it left an awful taste in his mouth from when he woke up to sun-high. He preferred training with the apprentices in his clan, playing their training games in the marsh and the forests of Shadowclan’s territory. The Dark Forest was red and black, the trees were dead and the grass was coarse. Shadowclan was lush, the pine trees grew tall and the grass was soft, the soil muddy. It was comforting under his paws, no matter how messy.

He didn’t like the Dark Forest in the slightest. Training with unsheathed claws, learning moves that would kill… He didn’t like it, it made him feel sick. The only reason he was there was because of his mentor.

He wanted to make Potatoclaw proud.

Potatoclaw was more than just his mentor to him. Beepaw saw him as an older brother. Some of the only family he had left. He wanted his approval.

So that led to where he was now. Standing in that desolate forest that smelled of blood and death, watching as various ghostly cats wondered about, teaching the other apprentices and cats how to fight while their death-wound leaked blood. Some of their organs dragged on the ground. Some missed half of their face, showing the bones of their skull. There was one cat who dragged herself by her forepaws, missing her whole bottom half, causing her organs to drag behind her as she moved, leaving a blood trail against the black grass.

Beepaw hated her the most.

There were less gruesome ones. Cats with torn out or slit throats, cats that had foam coming from their mouths and glassy eyes. Some who seemed to have died from green-cough or black-cough; maybe even death-disease.

He liked those cats better. They weren’t as scary. Even if they still made bile rise in his throat.

Beepaw pushed through it. He had met another apprentice there that he clicked with quickly, Redpaw was his name, but he stopped showing up moons ago. Foxpaw didn’t seem to like him or want to be friends. They were often pitted against each other, nearly matching each other blow for blow. He was happy that he was doing well according to Potatoclaw.

He liked making Potatoclaw proud.

So, for now, Beepaw would push through it. He’d wake up and vomit while the other cats were asleep, he’d get something from Goldenpelt to help settle his stomach, he’d do his best to ignore the scent of death that lingered on his tongue for ages after he woke up. He’d do his best to keep down prey.

He hated it. He wanted to stop being there. But he wanted to make Potatoclaw proud. He wanted to be the best apprentice in the five clans, just so he could be enough for the approval and attention of his clan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit different from my usual style, but I like it!


	12. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mcyt cats in this chapter  
> frostdapple - George  
> salmonsong (mentioned) - wilbur

Frostdapple had fallen into a routine at this point. Wake up from a restless sleep, try to make his forepaw ache just a little bit less, coax Foxpaw and Rainheart into his den to treat them, and check on Eelkit.

Eelkit had been doing better. He had recovered almost fully from kitten cough and seemed to be taking more of an interest in what Frostdapple was doing. He watched him treat the small wounds that the dark forest trainees would always come in with, he would watch him sort the herbs. Eelkit always had an endless amount of questions, too. He was quite the chatter-box if Frostdapple let him be, and Frostdapple had no problem with teaching the young cat about everything he knew.

When Eelkit found out Frostdapple was colourblind he had even more questions for him, and while Frostdapple didn’t like to talk about his colourblindness, he couldn’t resist the tom-kit’s eyes, full of wonder and questions and innocence. Frostdapple was honestly flattered by Eelkit’s interest in him and the job he did for the clan.

“What’s this?” Eelkit’s voice filled the medicine den, empty aside from him and Frostdapple, the kit had his paw placed on a dock leaf, looking up to Frostdapple in excitement. Frostdapple saw the big leaf and knew it was dock, but to be sure he opened his mouth to scent the air.

“That’s a dock leaf. Nearly as big as you! We use them when treating scratches by chewing it up and applying it to the wound. It can also be used for nesting. A big thing it’s used for is as a bundle for carrying other herbs when you go out to gather them. It’s very useful when it comes to mundane things and can be used to free up space in the storage by bundling the herbs together in one place as well.” He explained, having to contain a laugh when the kitten gasped in awe.

“It has so many uses! That’s so cool! Do other herbs have as many uses as dock leaves?”

“Well, lavender has a good few uses. You might remember when I gave you some when you were in here with kitten cough. Well, it can be used for cats with sicknesses like that to steady out their breathing. We also use it when preparing a burial. For the most part, herbs don't have many uses aside from one, maybe two.”

“Wait… you’re colourblind.” Frostdapple nodded. “How do you know what herbs you need to find if you can't see them?” Usually, a comment like that would make him bristle in annoyance but he simply shook his head fondly.

“I can see them just fine, Eelkit. I just can’t see red or green.”

“Does that make it hard?”

“A bit, but I’ve learned how to tell herbs apart. One way is by scent and another is by look. Any herbs that are blue or purple though are very vibrant for me, so I can find those easily.”

“Whoa… do your eyes have something to do with it?” Eelkit asked, making his way to sit next to Frostdapple, who was sorting and counting his herbs. Frostdapple blinked, pausing for a second. He wasn’t entirely sure if his heterochromia had something to do with it, but Rainheart had it too and he wasn’t colourblind.

“I’m... actually not sure of that one, kit. It’s certainly possible.”

“Why are your ears like that?” He huffed out a laugh.

“I was just kinda born like this. It doesn’t change anything, I’m not hard of hearing or anything like that. It’s just… folded. It’s always been like that.” Eelkit nodded slowly, trying to take in all of the information. “Wanna play a game?”

“Yes!” Eelkit wiggled excitedly.

“Since you’ve spent a lot of time in here, you probably know a good few herbs. We can play a game where you guess what herb it is and you can also guess what it’s used for. Each answer you get correct is more time you can spend asking me questions about my personal life, or even bringing your sister with you here. As long as she doesn’t mess with anything.”

“Oooo… If I do good, would you play moss ball with me?”

“I don’t see why not. Wanna start now?” Eelkit nodded excitedly.

Their game went on for a good while, Sunhigh dipping into Sunset as they went through the herbs and their uses as well as playing their game of moss ball. Frostdapple was glad the day was slow, no cats needing him for anything. Salmonsong stopped by to visit and the two of them talked about their days while Eelkit ate and played with his sister.

Frostdapple really hoped he would get Eelkit as his apprentice. They got along well and he knew he would make a great medicine cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a chapter where eelkit and frostdapple bond? who woulda guessed!


	13. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mcyt cats in this chapter:  
> beepaw- tubbo  
> redpaw- tommy  
> foxpaw - fundy  
> saptooth - sapnap  
> lilacfeather - karl  
> cloudrunner - dream  
> frostdapple - George  
> ramfang - jschlatt  
> bad - badboyhalo  
> birdleap - skeppy

As Shadowclan streaked down the hill from their territory into Fourtrees, Beepaw felt himself buzzing with excitement. He only hoped he’d be able to see Redpaw, it felt like they hadn’t talked in ages. He looked around, standing close to Potatoclaw as he searched to find his friend in the sea of cats. As soon as he spotted that familiar cream and ginger pelt, though, Beepaw darted towards him.

“Redpaw!” The two pressed against each other in greeting. “I haven’t seen you in forever!” The other apprentice laughed.

“I know, it’s been ages! It sucks we don’t see each other much anymore.” Beepaw nodded, brushing against his best friend as they found a place to sit.

“You gotta tell me everything!” Redpaw nodded before pausing.

“Wait, wait… let’s wait for Foxpaw. I wanna go annoy Saptooth.” Beepaw laughed at his friend’s plan. It wasn’t long before Riverclan streaked down the hill, the scent of fish resting on his tongue.

As soon as the other apprentice joined them and was let in on the plan, the three quickly found Saptooth, as he was sitting with Frostdapple, Cloudrunner, and Lilacfeather.

“He’s so stubborn! Barely listens to a thing I say when we’re training with the other apprentices, it’s so annoying!” Saptooth’s meowed, voice full of exasperation. The three apprentices heard a familiar laugh, not a wheeze just yet.

“That’s why I don't have one, aside from the fact that I don’t really want one.”

“They wouldn’t give you one even if you asked!” Frostdapple butted in, Lilacfeather laughed. “You’re so reckless! I’m surprised you haven’t been in the medicine den like, every day.”

“Oh, come on. I’m not  _ that _ bad, B-” he cut himself off with a wheeze as he was hit by Saptooth.

“You’re all idiots.” Lilacfeather’s meow, edged with laughter, was light and fond.

“Yeah, but we’re  _ your _ idiots!” Saptooth meowed back. The group was silent for a few heartbeats before they all broke into giggles. Redpaw charged forward to the small group, followed by Beepaw and Foxpaw. “Oh, Starclan…”

“Eyyyyy, Saptooth, my brooooooo!” Lilacfeather burst out laughing, hiding his face in the fluffy black and white tom’s neck. Cloudrunner seemed to be barely holding his laughter in.

“What do you need, Redpaw?” Saptooth mewed, rolling his eyes, though he had a fond smile on his face.

“Well, I heard that you were talking about how great I am and decided to show your friends in person!” Cloudrunner broke into laughter, wheezing in a way that sounded painful. “What? Surprised that Saptooth under-stated my awesomeness?”

“Oh no, you’ve brought Foxpaw with you too…” Frostdapple grumbled, flicking his ear in annoyance. Foxpaw noticed he didn’t seem as annoyed as usual and had been smiling widely earlier. He was still smiling.

“Well, obviously. Foxpaw, Beepaw, and I are the best apprentices in the forest, of course, we stick with each other.”

“Kinda like you guys!” Beepaw chirped. “The best stick with the best after all.”

“Well, for the most part. Frostdapple must be here out of pity.” Almost suddenly the air got tense, he earned a glare from the moor-runner.

“ _ What? _ ” He growled, shuffling closer to the medicine cat. “You’re lucky this is a gathering or I would’ve clawed your ears off. Frostdapple is  _ not _ here out of pity. He is a very capable cat and was an amazing warrior before he was forced to be a medicine cat. He is very important to our group dynamic.” Foxpaw took a few pawsteps back, ears down in a sign of submission.

“Cloudrunner…” Frostdapple’s voice was soft in a way Foxpaw never heard before. “You don’t need to start a conflict.” The other tom huffed.

“Xenophobia and ableism are really fuckin bad for character.” Saptooth, glaring at the three.

“O-Okay, okay, he didn’t mean it, right, Foxpaw?” Beepaw was getting nervous, he never liked conflict.

“Y-Yeah! I didn’t, I’m sorry.” The tension seemed to ease between the two groups before the voice of the Thunderclan deputy spoke up.

“Who in the name of Starclan are  _ you? _ ” Ramfang’s voice came out as a growl, venom dripping from it. Beepaw quickly made his way over to the commotion with the other apprentices, Redpaw leading the way, only to see the Thunderclan deputy snarling at a… barn cat? He was as large as Ramfang, which was saying something, and his bandana was what gave him away as a cat not from the clans.

“My name is Bad!” The black and white tom - Bad - meowed, tail raised in a friendly greeting. “Nice to meet you!” Ramfang scoffed.

“I don’t remember non-clan cats being allowed to join gatherings...” Ramfang unsheathed his claws and Beepaw looked to the other apprentices. They seemed just as confused as him. Their confusion mounted as a Windclan cat named Birdleap stepped in between the two, his claws glinting under the moon.

“Don’t you dare touch him, you mouse-muncher!” The blue-grey tom spat. “Bad is a resident of Windclan at the moment and will be treated as such!”

“I wasn’t aware that was up to  _ you _ . I have half the mind to claw your pelt off!” Birdleap opened his mouth to respond before a yowl cut him off, darkness shadowing the clearing as the moon was covered by clouds.

“Starclan has been displeased!” Cederstar’s meow rang loud through the clearing. “The gathering is over!” Before he could leave, he made sure to find Redpaw. He tapped him with his tail to get his attention.

“Meet me at the Thunderpath at Moon-High, I have something to show you.” He whispered. Redpaw nodded before trotting up the hill with his clan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the slight delay for this chapter; was sick yesterday and wasn't able to finish it.
> 
> 'm feeling better though, dw!


	14. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mcyt cats in this chapter:  
> redpaw: tommy  
> beepaw: tubbo  
> ramfang (mentioned): Jschlatt  
> potatoclaw (mentioned): technoblade  
> saptooth (mentioned): sapnap  
> lilacfeather (mentioned): karl  
> cloudrunner (mentioned): dream  
> frostdapple (mentioned): george

Redpaw waited anxiously for Moon-High, the gathering having been cut off early left the moon a quarter of the way across its journey through the sky. Ramfang’s outburst had left a sour taste in his mouth, so had the tension that started within a heartbeat while with Saptooth, Cloudrunner, Lilacfeather, and Frostdapple. He knew the four were close but never expected that sort of aggression, especially from the usually giggly and outgoing Windclan tom. Even if he didn’t unsheath his claws, the threat lingered thickly in the air.

Ramfang hadn’t calmed his nerves either, he had been irritable since the gathering had ended. Redpaw had stayed in the apprentice den, gazing out of it and tracking the moon as it slowly drifted along.

After what seemed like a full season had passed, the moon reached its peak and Redpaw silently padded out of camp, navigating the familiar territory and stopping in front of the thunder-path. A bush on the other side rustled and Beepaw emerged, a few twigs sticking out of his pelt. He raised his tail in silent greeting before ducking into a dip next to the thunder-path. Redpaw noticed a similar one on his side and followed suit.

He hadn’t expected to end up in a tunnel, the acidic scent of the thunder-path nearly non-existent. Beepaw rushed over, greeting his friend by butting his head on the other’s shoulder.

“Where are we?” Redpaw asked as soon as Beepaw stepped away.

“We’re under the thunder-path! Potatoclaw and I found this the other day while we were on patrol, it’s hidden enough to where we can meet up and talk regularly like we used to do!” Redpaw couldn’t help the smile that made its way onto his face at his best friend’s excitement.

“Well, what should we do here? We can’t just talk all the time.” Beepaw nodded. They were silent for a bit before he spoke.

“We could train! I could teach you some Shadowclan moves and you could teach me some Thunderclan moves!” Redpaw eagerly nodded, the prospect of learning moves only Beepaw could teach him made him excited.

“That sounds awesome! We should definitely catch up first, though.”

“Oh, absolutely. It’s been too long.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit of a shorter chapter today


	15. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mcyt cats in this chapter
> 
> frostdapple - George

“I would like to mentor Eelkit.” Frostdapple’s meow was steady and sure, he had been thinking long and hard about this, and now that Eelkit was 6 moons old, he decided to bring it up with Wolfstar. He shifted slightly, the ache of his foreleg had gotten more consistent now that it was Leaf-Bare. Wolfstar blinked at him slowly before nodding.

“He has shown great interest in becoming one, I will admit… Do you think you’re ready for an apprentice?” Frostdapple’s pelt bristled at her words.

“I am more than ready.” He kept his tone even and cool.

“Alright, then. Come with me.” Wolfstar padded out of the den, Frostdapple only a few paces behind her. She jumped onto the meeting stump. “May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the meeting stump for a clan meeting!” Quickly, the clan gathered and Frostdapple saw Eelkit and Reedkit joining them this time. They seemed excited. As soon as the clan had gathered, Frostdapple cleared his throat.

“Cats of Riverclan, as you know, I will not be around forever. So it’s time I took an apprentice. I have chosen a cat who has shown great interest in the craft as well as swift learning skills and compassion. Your next medicine cat will be Eelkit.” Eelkit looked a bit shocked at hearing his name but he looked excited as well.

“Eelkit,” Wolfstar started, the brown-grey tom scrambled to stand under the stump, “do you accept the post of apprentice to Frostdapple?”

“I do!” He squeaked.

“Then, from now on, you shall be known as Eelpaw. By the next half-moon you must travel to the Moonstone to be accepted by Starclan before the other medicine cats. The good wishes of all of Riverclan will go with you.” Frostdapple moved, touching noses with the eager apprentice, listening to the clan shout out his name. Frostdapple gave Eelpaw a small nudge, before gesturing towards his sister, who had been called to sit under the stump for her own ceremony, before limping into the medicine den.

It wasn’t too long before Eelpaw trotted in, still buzzing with excitement.

“Frostdapple!” He chirped, causing said tom to smile.

“Hey, Eelpaw.”

“I can’t believe I’m your apprentice! I can’t believe you chose me to be your apprentice!”

“Who else would I have chosen? Nobody else in Riverclan has the same interest in learning about this stuff than you do. You’ve practically been training with me since you recovered from Kitten Cough.” Eelpaw laughed.

“I guess you’re right. I’m still excited, though!”

“Well, you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you. Leaf-Bare is finally here which can mean all sorts of things. Same with upcoming battles, a big one is certainly coming quickly.”

“How do you know?”

“Prophecies from Starclan. Dreams and the fish and water too. There’s a lot of things that contribute to it, honestly. You’ll learn how to interpret signs soon enough. That’s the one thing I couldn’t unofficially teach you until now.”

“Whoa… That sounds… complicated.”

“It is. You’re smart though, I’m sure you’ll get it pretty quick.”


	16. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mcyt cats in this chapter:
> 
> lilacfeather - karl  
> saptooth - sapnap  
> foxpaw (mentioned) - fundy  
> redpaw (mentioned) - tommy  
> ramfang (mentioned) - jschlatt

Lilacfeather pushed his paw through the grass absentmindedly as he waited, tail tip flicking back and forth in anticipation. He opened his mouth to scent the air every so often, attempting to pick out the scent of pine and sap. His ears perked when he heard a rustling in the thickets, and he grinned wide when his made pushed through, his fluffy fur taking a few loose twigs with it.

“Saptooth! Took you long enough.” The Thunderclan tom rolled his eyes, padding up to the other and butting his head against his shoulder.

“You know sneaking out is difficult with Ramfang of all cats as deputy.” Saptooth rasped his tongue over the other’s fur before moving the two of them into the carved out piece of land under the roots of their meeting tree. “You know he’s not a big fan of cats from Thunderclan courting with cats from other clans.”

“That’s why you should come live in Skyclan, then it won’t be cross-clan.”

“As much as I would love to, you know I have an apprentice.”

“Yeah, how could I forget?” Lilacfeather huffed out a laugh as he recalled the gathering. “He seems like a piece of work just from that bit of time I saw him. You end up talking to him about what Foxpaw had said?”

“Yeah, talked about him when we were doing hunting practice the next day. He said he wasn’t sure why Foxpaw said that sort of thing. Maybe it’s something to do with his clan or whatever.” The fluffy tom pressed against his mate before shivering slightly. “Squirrel, you’re freezing!” Lilacfeather chuckled.

“Saptooth, it’s leafbare and I wasn’t blessed with a fluffy coat like you were, of course I feel freezing.” The cream tom flicked his partner with his tail gently. “I’m more or less used to it, I’m not gonna freeze to death, mouse brain.” Saptooth huffed.

“We should meet up more during Leaf Bare specifically so I can warm you up.”

“Sounds like you just want an excuse to cuddle.”  
  
“What if I do?”

“Well, I’m certainly not opposed, but I don't want our clans getting suspicious.” Saptooth hummed sadly.

“Yeah, that’s fair… what if we meet semi-weekly?”

“As long as you don’t get caught.”


	17. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mcyt cats in this chapter
> 
> ramfang - schlatt  
> frostdapple - George  
> cloudrunner - dream  
> bad (mentioned - badboyhalo  
> birdleap (mentioned) - skeppy  
> salmonsong (mentioned) - wilbur  
> foxpaw (mentioned) - fundy

The tom limped his way across the terrain. He was quite a bit away from his own territory, having padded to the edge of the Windclan border under the guise of gathering herbs. He honestly just wanted to see his mate Cloudrunner. Leafbare had been rough, and the cold did nothing but irritate his injured leg. He would give anything to be curled up against the golden tom he was waiting for.

Though his nose and mouth were clogged with the scent of herbs he had been carrying - he wasn’t going to lie to his clan completely - he heard the sound of dead leaves crunching under paws. He slowly began to back towards the Windclan border, his hackles rising in alarm. Piercing yellow eyes locked with Frostdapple’s and he froze.  _ Cloudrunner please get here already! _

“Well, well, well!” Ramfang’s voice rang out through the darkness as he padded out of the trees. “If it isn’t the kittypet, you’re pretty far from Riverclan territory, aren’t you?” Frostdapple shivered at the acidic tone that laced the other tom’s words. He let the bundle of herbs he had been carrying fall to the ground and unsheathed his claws.

“It’s none of your concern as to why I’m here! Don’t you know medicine cats can cross territory while looking for herbs?” Frostdapple tried to not let his nervousness show. Ramfang was getting closer, stopping a few tail-lengths in front of the medicine cat. Frostdapple could see the warrior’s unsheathed claws.

“I don't really give a rat’s tail.” The mottled grey tom snarled, tail lashing. Frostdapple could barely hear him, his own heart beating loudly in his ears, not dissimilar to the rumble of a monster on the thunderpath. “What I  _ do _ know is you shouldn’t be allowed in any clan territory. Go hobble back to your twolegs if you know what’s best for you.

“Y-You have no right to be giving me orders!” Frostdapple cursed himself for stuttering, almost positive his fear scent was tangible. He needed backup. He needed a warrior to be here with him  _ now _ . He knew better than to underestimate the Thunderclan deputy.

“Really? Then I guess I’ll have to send you back to them with a few more broken bones.” Without a word more, Ramfang pounced, barrelling the medicine cat over. Frostdapple hissed as the impact twisted his injured foreleg. “Not so tough now, huh? You really are a no-good mouse heart. I’m doing the clans a favour.” Frostdapple flinched back as Ramfang raised his paw, claws unsheathed. He screwed his eyes shut, preparing to feel whatever Ramfang had planned for him, only to hear a yowl and for the weight to be lifted off of him.

“You get away from him you piece of fox-dung!” Cloudrunner’s meow rang clear in Frostdapple’s ears, causing him to slowly open his eyes and look around, slightly dazed. His gaze eventually landed on his mate, who was pinning down the Thunderclan deputy with claws unsheathed. “Have you no respect for Starclan!?”

“You really think they would’ve chosen  _ him _ to be a medicine cat?! Once a kittypet, always a kittypet! Starclan has no honour anymore.” Cloudrunner opened his mouth, harsh words on the tip of his tongue, only to be stopped by the gentle mew of the medicine cat who had been watching.

“Cloudrunner, it’s not wise to start a conflict with other clans…”

“It is when they attempt to break the code by killing a medicine cat.” The golden tom spat, releasing his hold of the deputy nonetheless, who stalked off.  _ I guess Cloudrunner knocked some sense into that mouse brain… _

Cloudrunner ushered the Medicine Cat to the other side of Windclan’s border, leading him to the badger den that was obscured from prying eyes with heather. Instantly, the golden tom began sniffing the smaller one over, concern clouding his green eyes.

“Cloudrunner, I’m fine. He barely laid a claw on me.” Frostdapple mewed with a roll of his eyes, opting to ignore the stinging and throbbing of his foreleg, only made worse by the ache of Leafbare’s cold. Cloudrunner huffed, flopping down next to the brown tom and curling up against him.

“You’re so feather-brained… You should’ve let me kill him.” He grumbled, beginning to rasp his tongue over the other tom’s fur.

“We don’t need more wars.” Mis-matched eyes met with green ones, Frostdapple trying to convey his seriousness to his mate. “Leafbare is here, herbs are getting to be more scarce.”

“He almost killed you!”

“But he didn’t. I’m fine, see?” Frostdapple stretched out, making a show of being able to move with ease and not being in much pain. “I don’t want you getting hurt because you’re a stubborn furball.” Cloudrunner was silent for a few heartbeats before he huffed and buried his face into the medicine cat’s neck.

“You’re lucky I love you… I would’ve shredded him to mouse meat in a second.”

“I know, Cloudrunner. Can we cuddle now? Tell me about what’s going on in Windclan.” Cloudrunner shook his head fondly, before pressing closer to Frostdapple and running his tongue over the other’s fluffy fur, speaking between licks.

“Russetpaw’s warrior ceremony will be soon, maybe a moon or two. He’s been doing really well. Oh! You know Bad and Birdleap, right?” Frostdapple hummed in affirmation. “They might be becoming mates soon.”

“Really? That’s exciting. Do you know when the ceremony might be?”

“Uhm… most likely a season or two. I have a feeling they want to wait until after Leafbare to do anything. Do you think they’ll adopt or sire any kits?” Frostdapple hummed in thought.

“Maybe,” he started, “Bad seems like the type of cat to want kits. I’m not too sure about Birdleap, he’s pretty much your brother, you probably know better than I do.” Cloudrunner chuckled.

“That’s true.” He paused in thought, tapping his tail on the dirt beneath them. “Birdleap would do whatever would make Bad happy. Deep down I think he wants kits too.” A silence enveloped the two toms, comforting them as if they had laid out in the sun.

“Cloudrunner…?” Frostdapple’s mew was soft and edged with hesitation, the taller tom could feel his mate’s fur heating up. He hummed in response and snickered as Frostdapple squirmed a bit, pressing his face into his mate’s chest.

“Awwww, Bunny, what’s got you so embarrassed? Whatever you were gonna say can’t be  _ that _ bad.” Frostdapple mumbled something incoherent. “What was that, darling?”

“H-Have… do you want kits?” Frostdapple’s meow was just above a whisper, nervous energy radiating off of him. The medicine cat snorted when his mate flushed, sputtering at the sudden question and looking away.

“ _ Frostdapple! _ ” Cloudrunner ended up wheezing out, still refusing to meet his mate’s eyes. “I-I, wh-what makes you bring that up?” He stuttered, causing the smaller of the two to smile fondly.

“We were on the topic, I was just wondering I guess. You always say how much you like spending time with the kits and apprentices in your clan.”

“W-Well,” Cloudrunner cleared his throat, “do uh… do you want kits?”

“Maybe…” Frostdapple trailed, leaning impossibly further into his mate’s fur and relishing in the warmth. “I certainly wouldn’t mind, as long as it was with you.”

“That’s so sappy~” The golden tom licked his mate’s cheek. “I… I would want kits someday. Not now, of course, I don’t think I’m ready to be a dad. How would we even explain it?”

“Salmonsong is Foxpaw’s father and he was born from a relationship just like this one, albeit he’s Salmonsong’s biological kid. He said Foxpaw was an abandoned kit he found.”

“Maybe we’ll adopt a kit or a litter someday. I could always sire some too, you know.” Frostdapple hummed. “Hehehe, the thought of us raising our own family makes me giddy.” Frostdapple giggled.

“Can we sleep together tonight?” Frostdapple’s voice was laced with grogginess

“Won’t your clan be worried?”

“Eelpaw can cover for me, he’s a very fast learner and has most everything memorised. Plus, we haven’t slept together in forever.” He dragged ‘forever’ out in a whine, getting a chuckle from his mate. “Plus, m’ leg gets achy when it’s not warm and you’re warm.”

“Alright, alright. It’s not like I could ever say no to you anyways, baby.” He hooded a foreleg over Frostdapple, snuggling the two together and purring, allowing the two to eventually drift to sleep in their shared warmth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heehoo have some fluff


End file.
